I picked up a bottle of Weyerbacher's Double Simcoe IPA last week for $3.39 at Holiday Market. I've never had a beer from this brewery and I thought I would start off with their Double IPA, so lets see how it goes. Bottled on 12/10/2014. Poured from a brown 12oz bottle into a snifter.

A- The label looks nice, it's got a nice design to it and it's just a little eye caching. It poured a very hazy brunt orange color that took on more of an amber red color when held to the light with a little over two fingers worth of tan head that died down to a thin ring that stayed till the end and it left some sticky and patchy lacing behind. This is a good looking DIPA, I have no complaints.

S- The aroma starts off with a slightly higher amount of medium sweetness with the hops being the first to show up and they impart a mixture of citrus rind, light tropical fruit and floral hops aromas with the citrus rind hops seeming to stick out the most. Up next there's a little bit of yeast that leads into the malts which impart a sweet malt, caramel malt and some slightly doughy aromas. This beer had a good aroma, the hop profile was nice and fruity.

T- The taste seems to be similar to the aroma and it starts off with a slightly higher amount of medium sweetness with the hops still being the first to show up and they impart the same nice hop mixture that they did in the aroma with the citrus rind hops still sticking out the most. Up next comes a slight alcohol flavors that goes right into the malts with the sweet and caramel malts seeming to stick out the most with just a little bit of doughy flavor showing up in the background. On the finish there's a medium amount of bitterness that doesn't linger too long with a citrus rind hop aftertaste. This is a good tasting DIPA, just like the aroma it had a nice and fruity hop profile.

M- Smooth, a little crisp, slightly creamy, medium bodied with a slightly lighter amount of medium carbonation. This beer had a good mouthfeel that worked well with it.

Overall I thought this was a good beer and I thought it was a good example of the style, even though the bitterness was on the lower side for the style, the hop flavors showed up nicely with some good fruity hop flavors and aromas. This beer had nice drinkability, it was smooth, a little crisp, the alcohol was a little well hidden, slightly creamy, not too filling and the taste did a nice job at holding my attention, I think a couple of these would be a good amount for me, any more than that and the alcohol might start to wear on me. What I like the most about this beer was the hop profile, it was nice and fruity while imparting some good flavors and aromas. What I liked the least about this beer was that it didn't just a little more bitterness to help balance out the sweetness. I would buy this beer again, especially if I could find it really fresh. I would recommend this beer, especially if you like fruity DIPA's. All in all I was pretty happy with this beer, it had just about everything that I expect from the style with a nice hop profile to go with it. This beer made for a good first impression of Weyerbacher and I'm really interested in trying more of their beers. Good job guys, this was a tasty DIPA, keep it up.

From the bottle:11/21/1405/21/15So it's not exactly fresh...but it should still hold up.

Appearance: Murky brown with an orange hue to the edges, with lots of material suspended inside. It looks like the pulp you'd find in orange juice. The head is a massive creamy fluffy eggshell white mountain that sticks to the glass.

Aroma: There is a feint caramel note with an orange aroma that is like an over-ripe orange.

Taste: Faint woody flavor with some citrus rind. Over time some pine comes out, but mostly that pith of an orange peel really dominates although the flavor is very muted. A bit of a soapy flavor after the beer has been out of the mouth for a while. There is a sweet caramel flavor that also sticks to the lips (probably sounds funny).

Mouthfeel: Very dry but a bit chalky. It has a coating bitterness that roughens up the palate quite a bit. It works great for this beer overall.

Overall: It's a good beer but it just didn't stand out in any way, and really it didn't showcase Simcoe or bring it out into the foreground, despite the giant bold "DOUBLE SIMCOE" on the label. I don't want to make this sound like it's a bad DIPA or anything, it just isn't at the top of my recommendation list.

Appearance - Poured into a snifter to reveal a cloudy, rusty orange brew with a half finger of sandstone head. Fair retention leads to a thin, broken layer of surface suds and a razor thin ring around the edge. Only tiny spots of lace remain on the glass.

Smell - Pungent aroma that wallops the nostrils with huge notes of grapefruit upon first opening, but caramel, floral and earth notes become strong forces as the brew warms.

Taste - Flavor follows the nose with bittersweet grapefruit notes, some mild earthy dankness and a light floral character backed by a huge caramel malt backbone. Finishes much the same, with a bit of grapefruit pith bitterness lingering in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel - Near full in body with moderate carbonation. Slick texture before a semi-dry finish.

Overall - Damn solid DIPA. My Yoda-sense tells me 'An occasional buy it would be if in my neck of the woods it were available.' It's certainly got that West Coast vibe, but drinks more like an Oregon product than a SoCal offering. If you can get it, try it!

Poured from the designated Super Bowl growler into an IPA glass, Went with a PA beer since I have never had it, and more importantly, the last time the Pats won the Super Bowl they beat Philly. Not sure that makes any sense, but that is what I am going with.

A - A murky amber with orange highlights. A one and half finger head that move to a thin lace expediently.